Improvement in bill-files



UN'ITnDh STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS LEES, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN Bl LL-FILES.

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,732, dated April23, 1878; application filed March 11, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Liens, of Chester, in the county of Delawareand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Document or File Holders, of which thevfollowing is aspecification:

4The object of my invention is to provide a. simple, cheap, andconveniently-portable device for holding documents or iles, so that thesame shall be retained in their relative positions when not in use, andthat any or all of them may be conveniently removed and replacedwhenever desired.

`'lo these ends my improvements consist in the combination of abase-piece having side flanges, a vertical plate secured to one of theends of the base-piece, and a movable clampingplate, which slidesbetween guides secured at one end to the vertical plate and at the otherto a support on the base-piece, and which may be adjusted at and lockedin different positions, as desired, in the len gth of the guides, all ashereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an isometrical view of adocument-holder embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, atransverse sectionof the same; Fig. 3, an isometrical view of one of my improveddocumentholders, showing another arrangement of the locking device; andFig. 4, a transverse section of the same.

To carry out my invention, I provide a basepiece, A, which ispreferably'of light sheet metal, and which has a vertical plate, A1, atone of its ends, said plate being either securedto or formed in onepiece with the base piece. A similar but shorter plate or support, A2,is formed upon or secured to the opposite end of the base-piece, and theplates A1 and A2 are connected by the horizontal guide-bars B. The widthof the base-piece A is slightly greater than that of the documents whichit is designed to contain, and it is turned up at each side, so as toform longitudinal anges or stops a, between which the bottoms of saiddocuments rest.

Wires or light bars 'may be substituted for the side anges, if deemedpreferable.

A vertical clamping-plate, C, is fitted to slide between the guide-barsB, being retained thereon by proper loops or catches c, and rests atbottom on the base-piece. A bottom flange, c', should be formed upon oneor both sides of the clamping-plate C, to prevent it from canting overout of its norfmal vertical position. A longitudinal series of openingsor perforations, b, is formed in each of the guide-bars B, as closetogether as practicable, to receive the outer ends of two spring catchesor bolts, e, which are tted in a case, E, secured transversely upon theclamping-plate, and are provided at their inner ends with thumb-piecesb, for moving them inwardly against the resist-ance of their springs,the tendency of which springs is to force the bolts into theperforations of the guide-bars.

It will be seen that by this arrangement the clamping-plate may be movedalong the guide-bars and secured in proper position therein tocorrespond with the thickness of the series of documents or les to beinserted between it and the vertical end plate A1, and may be releasedfrom and returned to its position, to admit of the ready removal andreplacement of one or more of the documents, as desired.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modification of the device by which theclamping-plate C is held in desired position. In this instance a seriesof notches or recesses, b2, is formed on the upper sides of theguide-bars B, instead of providing the bars with perforations b, asbefore described, and, in lieu of the sliding catches c, I employvibrating catches or claws el, which are secured upon the ends of atransverse rock-shaft, El, mounted in bearings e2 on the plate C abovethe guide-bars, and provided with a thumb-piece, E2, at or near itscenter.

A spring, E3, is connected at its upper end to the thumb-piece E2, andat its lower to a hook or staple, e3, on the clamping-plate, itstendency being to draw the free ends of the catches c* into the notchesb2 ofthe guide-bars, and there retain them until released by theapplication of pressure to the thumb-piece E2, and to a correspondingfixed piece, E4, secured upon the clamping-plate above the shaft El,which carries the catches.

Myimprovements are particularly adaptable to use in public oices, inwhich such facilities for the storage of series of documents ofdifferent descriptions must be provided as that any desired document canreadily be obtained and replaced in its proper position Without thedisplacement of the others.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In adocument or le holder, abase-piece having vertical ends, united bynotched or perforated guide-bars, combined with a movableclamping-plate, provided Wit-h spring catches or bolts to engage thenotches or perforations of the guide-bars, substantially as set forth.

2. As a documentor le holder, a base-piece having side anges andvertical ends, united by notch ed or perforated guide-bars, combinedwith a movable clamping-plate, provided with a foot and spring catchesor bolts to engage the notches or perforations of the guide-bars,substantially as set forth.

THOMAS LEES.

Witnesses:

J AMES C. BRoUGHToN, W. B. BRooMALL.

